Stand up and speak up for animals that cannot

Friday August 12, 2011, 8:19 am On the ABC's Four Corners program in May, we collectively learned the uncomfortable truth about live export to Indonesia. More than 500,000 cattle are sent to Indonesian slaughterhouses each year, and many face brutal treatment. We watched these animals have their eyes gouged, tendons cut and tails broken, and we heard the guttural bellowing of intense pain. Confronted by this disturbing reality, the Australian public demanded change from their political representatives. Animal welfare is sometimes seen as a fringe or extremist cause, but the size and unanimity of response throughout the country has shown otherwise. Australians share a fundamental compassion for animals and a willingness to act when evidence of suffering is presented. We know they share many attributes with humans; fear, pain and grief for starters. send green star | flag as...